tried to clean them with one of those "spray" on cleaners. oops big no-no. Now my rims have this whitish spotty film all over them that i can't scrub off with a towel. (looks like a hard water stain)Any ideas on how to remove myself? Has anyone else had this problem before? Do i simply need to pony up and take them in for a power polish at the local wheel fixing place.

btw - They are chrome/polished rims.

thanks in advance.

Kev

 

is this on the lip, or center? and is the surface polished?

i used mothers on my polished lips and removed all kinds of stuff. but i think only applys to polished and metal surface, not painted.

 

SAY NO TO WHEEL CLEANER!

 

Try paint polish or wax first.

THEN:

If it's a polished lip that isn't painted, try some chrome polish like mothers or eagle.

If it's painted, try a little goo gone.

 

thanks.. ill try the wax/polish route tonight.. hopefully i didnt mess them up too badly.

 

Try Mothers.. It usually removes anything that has not compromised the metal

 

I had a similar issue with my Blitz wheels (lip) on my M3 when a mobile detailer washed my car. We tried all kind of polishing and it didn't work. At the end, the wheels end up getting refinished at $40 per wheel. I hope you have better luck.

 

dj,

you love this goo gone thing... i asked my wife to bring one home tonight for my car seat as you suggested... we should see. are you sure you don't own the company!!

 

Chrome typically doesn't have many bad reactions to cleaners so this sounds odd. Is the chrome center blemished or the polished rims?

If it's your rims, it sounds like they are anodized. If so, I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news but certain chemicals will "tarnish" the anodization. Anodization itself is a chemical treatment to aluminum hence certain other chemicals can do damage. Although anodizing is a superb form of protecting aluminum, it has its drawbacks simply b/c certain chemicals will do exactly what you are describing.

Whatever you do, do not apply any metal polishes until you talk to the wheel company to determine what the final finish is on your rims.

If your rims were simply clearcoated then more often than not, you wouldn't really have any sort of stains other than soap scum/hard water stains. If this is the case then use the simple 50/50 water/vinegar mix and see if that works. Obviously a small test should be performed before working in larger areas. Treat the clearcoat as if it were paint.

You should call the manufacturer though. it could save you from doing more damage to the finish.

Good Luck!

 

thanks for all the replies everyone!! I got lucky and treated a small area on one of the affected rims with polish and the stains came right out! So i set out to polish all of the rims and they look good as new. (that sure is hard work polishing every nook and cranny but i guess you have to pay for making a silly mistake like using wheel cleaner.)

Dont know what i'd do without 6speed.. cheers!

 

Make sure you have lots of Mothers

 

We actually put warnings on the invoices of our anodized wheels that warn against this.

I can't tell my customers enough......

DON'T

PUT

ANYTHING

ON

YOUR

WHEELS

THAT

YOU

WOULD'NT

PUT

ON

YOUR

HOOD!

You got lucky.

 

I find the Zymol wheel cleaner and P21S green gel are fine....I only use them once in a while but normally just soap and water on the wheels...

 

simple green.

 

I agree 100%, works great and wont hurt the finish....You got real real lucky..